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Can he be placed?

18K views 174 replies 32 participants last post by  my boy diesel 
#1 · (Edited)
Unhappy Brutus Buckeye

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Hi. I just joined yesterday. Unfortunately we have a problem with our beloved Brutus Buckeye. He badly bit a child who was playing with our two granddaughters in our house. Everything worked out fine with the child, her mom and her grandparents. One attitude is that he needs to be put down. Another (mine) is that surely there is a place for him with someone else in the right environment. Help.


Thanks for the responses. Here is more background. Brutus had been a problem at his prior residence as he had nipped at a couple of kids (always around the granddaughters) so I guess he was showing his protectiveness. We now have him at our house 95 percent of the time and we just moved to be close to the grandkids. The child he bit a few days ago was new to him. There was a puncture of the forearm, a gash in the calf and a bite in the back that showed all four canine teeth in action. Fortunately he released, probably when I intervened. He is now four and we got him when he was two. He had training at about one year old but I don't know what kind.
 
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#79 ·
Lol! ;)

My poor hubby was attacked recently too so...

He was at a job, folks accidentally let the dog out!!!

Good thing it was chihuahua though because it latched into the toe of his steel toe work boot and was biting and gnawing away. Wouldn't stop til the owners got it.

Me? No...it's gotta be a 13O pound kuvasz. :crazy:
 
#80 ·
Yeah, yikes! My brother was bitten by a GSD while working last summer. The back of his thigh had a bruise the size of a pie plate, with the indentations from the canines too, that lasted for weeks - even though his skin wasn't actually broken, he said it hurt like the dickens!
 
#83 ·
Not breaking the skin, shows a LOT of bite inhibition on a dog's part in my opinion and experience. It is more of a really bad method of communicating on the dog's part. And certainly not what this thread is about.

The dog in question is probably gone now. It is terribly sad for the owners. Hopefully it was not all that hard on the dog. But there are three little kids that have totally been neglected through this thread. The granddaughters witnessed a traumatic event and are probably feeling somewhat scared of the dog, but also terribly sad for the dog. I feel for them.

And for the other little girl, seven year old girl, who will probably have a pretty negative opinion of our breed as well as her parents and friends and grand parents, and aunts and uncles, and so forth. I feel really sad for her too. I hope that someday she is introduced and is able to get to know a really good specimen of the breed that can teach her that all of these dogs are not like this.

I've been bitten for real a couple of times. It is going to happen. Accidents do. Only one time, was it not an accident. I know now that that working line/pet line dog was communicating to me. He gave me scars on three fingers in one single bite, after taking my other wrist in his mouth and letting go. I did not stop, and so he gave me that one single bite, which got me in three places on my hand. Today, I don't think that would have happened. But I did push that dog to bite -- not intentionally, but either way I did.

The other bites were much more significant, trip to the ER for both of them, the one to the calf took over a year to heal, large bruise and punctures. Single bite and a total accident. The bitch was fighting with another bitch, got bit on the back and wheeled and my calf got in the way. She released immediately but the damage was done.

The one in the hand was also part of two dogs fighting and I shoved a hand in to grab a collar. Not the right thing to do that time. I took my blood stump back to my car and drove my car toward the fighting dogs and startled them enough to swing out, and throw one inside a crate so fast it would make your head spin. My fault on that, but it took, drains and stitches and I still have a pretty good scar on my hand.

Our breed can do damage when they want to. If they bite without doing damage, then you have to think -- the dog is communicating, how can I get this dog to a better state, through training and leadership, because whatever I am doing is NOT working.

GSDs do not NEED their teeth to do damage. Today, Babs performed a perfect uppercut with her rock of a head, right into my two front teeth, and I am surprised they are still there. Yesterday, she walked by and gave me a tail whip in the bad knee. I wonder what the heck she is trying to communicate.
 
#84 ·
I think this dog is now in a rescue.

I noticed today that a GSD rescue in Indianapolis posted on fb about a dog named Brutus that bit a child that was over playing with the owner's grand kids. I am thinking this is the same dog, or an amazing coincidence. The dog is also 4 years old, although the rescue said this was the only incident and that the owners surrendering him had no idea something like this would happen. They are looking for a quiet home without many visitors.
 
#86 ·
And this is EXACTLY why ANY rescue is INSANE for taking a dog whose owners tell them it bit a kid. People LIE. People cannot take responsibility for their own dog. They cannot "man-up" and do the right thing.

They put the dog onto someone else, and minimize everything in hopes that someone will take the dog so that they themsleves will not have to kill it.

If this dog than bites someone else, the former owners will totally and completely blame the rescue for placing the dog wrong, or not assessing it properly.

It is so easy to love dogs. They are honest. Even when they are exasperating, they are completely honest.

Is there anyway to e-mail a link to this thread to the people at the rescue?
 
#88 ·
I have only heard good things about the rescue, so I would guess it probably was the owners leaving out some info.

The rescue is GSD rescue Indy. I think I have seen on some threads that there are people on here who know the owner of the rescue, Amber (I think that is her name) that may be able to reach her? I follow the rescue fb page, the info on Brutus was posted 10 hours ago, if you search GSD rescue indy (from within facebook) the page will pop up if anyone wants to read the post and see if it sounds like the same dog/situation. I am not at all familiar with dog bite incidents and I have no idea if the right home or training can fix this boy, but I would hope the owner would give all the needed info to a rescue willing to take a chance. Wow...I did not even think to just post a link...oof! Sorry!
 
#98 ·
https://www.facebook.com/gsd.indy/posts/567603440013818

I think that's it there.

Yeah, they either don't mention, or don't know that the dog had more of a history. But if there was never a bite requiring stitches, it wasn't recorded against the dog and wasn't a "real" bite. They knew the dog had signs (likely the nipping) of being aggressive which they disclosed was the reason for typically keeping him crated around guests.
 
#109 ·
They say he's protective and they'd like to find him a home with experience, and without many visitors. It sounds like they're making the right choice there. Someone will be thrilled to take this boy into their home - he's only 4 years old. They're also insisting on local, so they can do a home visit. That's really important, since you never know when some nutter will 'fall in love' with his picture, and lie through their teeth to acquire him. Meanwhile, they run a daycare....you know what I'm saying, lol.
 
#110 ·
Yeah, the rescue will have to be very strict with this placement.

This...after all the discussion about how not even a big 'sanctuary' like Best Friends would take a dog like this, owner surrender and all and look what happens! You just never know.

But you know, I have to be honest, knowing that he inflicted multiple bites on a 7 year old and wouldn't stop until the owner intervened.....if it were my rescue I wouldn't take him on.
 
#111 ·
It sounds like the owner was up front with the rescue.

Now it is the rescue's fault if this dog bites another child. Or kills one. I know it's rare, but most of the time, they have a history like this dog.

But ya know what. Why isn't the OP keeping the dog, and managing it better if it was all his fault? He's the one who has 2 years invested in this dog. But it is his son-in-law's dog? Maybe the guy with the little kids says, no way are my kids going to visit you with that dog.

It hurts rescues, and people wanting to adopt a dog when a dog is adopted like this, and then bites. Then adopted again, if he bites again, he is doing no favors for all the dogs out there needing homes. You are supposed to be able to get a really nice dog from rescues. Every time a dog bites, a bajillion hear about it. Every time it is a GSD, all those people notice and remember. I expect the same is true about dogs that are rescued.
 
#112 ·
u might wanna link the rescuer to the ops 1st thread where it is stated

Thanks for the responses. Here is more background. Brutus had been a problem at his prior residence as he had nipped at a couple of kids (always around the granddaughters) so I guess he was showing his protectiveness. We now have him at our house 95 percent of the time and we just moved to be close to the grandkids. The child he bit a few days ago was new to him. There was a puncture of the forearm, a gash in the calf and a bite in the back that showed all four canine teeth in action. Fortunately he released, probably when I intervened. He is now four and we got him when he was two. He had training at about one year old but I don't know what kind.
 
#114 ·
My dog low growled at company and I took corrective measures, I worked with him to make sure he never actually bit anyone!

This dogs bite history is at least partial disclosed! I think a "responsible" owner can give him a second chance at a new first start! :)

Tons of folks have dogs that can't qualify for "Cesar 911" .:p

Yeah I went there!:D
 
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